Biden/Harris: A New Chapter in American History Begins

Rob Clewley
9 min readJan 22, 2021

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As the clock struck noon in the east on January 20th, the chapter of American carnage and assault on the truth ended, and a new and more hopeful chapter was set into motion. This was the moment when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the next president and vice president of the United States, a moment we have all been waiting for. A moment that we will remember for generations to come as Americans who have endured so much over these last several years with a president who never valued all of us and what we stand for.

Joe Biden gave a hopeful and inspiring speech to a nation more at odds with each other and more divided than at any time in our history. This speech gave us a glimpse of what kind of president he will be and the type of strong leadership that he will give us. He talked about how we are a nation of good people who want to do good things, which is quite the contrast from the way his predecessor spoke just four years ago from that very same spot atop the Capitol.

Change Has Come To America

This was something that Barack Obama said back in 2008 when he gave his inspiring acceptance speech on election night. Once again, after a failed Republican presidency that rings true. Change came when Obama was sworn into office in January 2009, and today it was born again when Joe Biden took the oath of office as the 46th President of the United States of America and took over.

I believe that this was even more profound than when Obama became our president all those years ago. G.W. Bush was not a bad man, he had a good heart and compared to Trump was a good president. G.W. got us into some messes though with those unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the economic failures that occurred as well. So, Obama was a breath of fresh air for our country some 12 years ago, and Obama was one of the greatest presidents of our time.

This is much different though and a historic moment because Bush did not have inhumane words and policies like Trump had. Bush respected people and was not a racist wanna-be dictator like the 45th President of the United States was. Even after the horrific events of September 11th, 2001 that shook the core of our nation and fractured the American spirit, he did not demean or attack the Muslim faith. Instead, he said that most Muslims were good and decent people.

Compare that to Donald Trump’s words about Muslims and you see why this was very different. Trump lumped all Muslims together as terrorists and banned them from entering our country just as he attacked and belittled undocumented immigrants, calling Mexicans “rapists and killers” and pushing for a racist wall. These are just a few examples of why Joe becoming our next president is so profound and the change that is coming is historic and will be looked at as a defining moment for the United States.

Truth and Facts Return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Trump and those around him lied to the American people for the last four years to the point where we lost faith and trust in our leaders. This was one of the worst parts of the last administration, we could not trust that what they were telling us was true. If you cannot trust your president to tell the truth, then you cannot trust anyone.

I remember that Trump’s people would promise to never lie to the press and the American people and then, do just that. It was a stunning moment when his press secretary said that she promised to never lie to the American people, and then go ahead and lie to us. Then we have his chief advisor claim that they were “alternative facts” when confronted with her lies, a way of defending the lie.

They lied and lied, it never stopped.

Trump’s rise to political power was because of a lie when he said that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. That racist birtherism conspiracy theory is one that eventually made Trump president and created his Make America Great Again movement. Trump knew that there was a sect of the population that could be manipulated through false promises, racism, and hate, and sadly he was right.

Trump used fake stories and lies to govern. He never gave us facts and neither did any of his mouthpieces.

We will have it differently with Biden and Harris. They will always level with us and tell us the truth and that is a refreshing change from what we had to endure under the previous administration. Just saying that Trump is the past is a great thing, that he is gone and we can have the truth matter again, and be given facts by our leaders.

Refreshing indeed.

A President who Cares About Us and Wants to do the Job

One of the most refreshing things about our new president is that he is committed to doing the job and wants to do the work required to make our country great. Trump just wanted the title and perks of being the President of the United States, he never wanted to do the work, and that is why he never did the work.

President Obama said it best when he said that Trump has not grown into the job, because he can't. This is very true and evident with how he governed for four long and painful years. Donald Trump never cared about the American people and he never wanted to roll up his sleeves and get to work, and this is because he had no desire to put his own interests aside and work for the best interest of the country.

Golf, tweeting, and corruption.

That describes the Trump presidency to a tee. His disregard for the people of this country was never more evident than when the pandemic reached our shores. For nearly a year he would lie about the virus, deny that it was even that serious, and go on with his old ways. Trump never cared about any of us, and he certianly didn’t get to work to make life better for us, our families, or our country.

The Biden presidency will be much different. Already, on day two of the Biden term we have seen that he is ready and willing to get to work and work for we the people. On his first day in office Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders on the real issues that we face and the problems that exist in this country. Joe signed orders to address the deadly pandemic instead of ignoring that it exists, he signed orders on LGBTQ rights and protections, he got us back into the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and more.

Joe is ready to do the job — he has waited his entire life for this moment and is up to the challenge.

I remember back when Joe was VP during the Obama years. He showed up everyday and worked for the American people, despite false claims by his predecessor and those on the right claiming that he has been around for decades without doing anything for the American people. Those claims are completely false because Joe has worked for the people of this country his entire life, and will continue to do so as president.

Joe is up to the challenge of being the leader of the free world and his history in public service proves that. He was ready on day one to lead and he indeed got right to work on the issues that matter for America, especially at fighting this devastating pandemic that we all have been experiencing. This is such a difference from what we have been used to in having Trump who did not care about us and never wanted to be president, at least not for the reasons that one should have in that job.

Once Again, Change has Come to America

One of the best speeches by a politician that I ever heard was when Barack Obama won back in 2008. In that inspirational and moving speech that he gave on election night he laid it all out on the table. I remember it like it was yesterday when Obama said that “Change has come to America”, and after years of the two wars we were in and economic disaster under Bush, he was right.

This was a big moment in our history being that Barack was our first black president and he came along at a time when we needed him desperately to right the ship, both economically and otherwise. I have to say that as great as that was for our country, the election of Joe Biden is even more important and needed for our nation. I say that because so much more was at stake in this election that just took place than we were with Bush.

If McCain had won in 2008 we wouldn’t have been in the dire straits that we were this time around, but it could had been very bad for our country nonetheless. Obama changed so much once he beat the former Arizona Senator, McCain. Barack Obama gave us healthcare , he ended those two wars, and much more. That was an important election, but this one was even more crucial for our future.

Donald Trump changed America in fundamental ways while he was in office for the last four years and if he had won again then we would not recognize our homeland in a few short years. Biden won and that will bring change to America over these next four years and hopefully even longer. These last few years we have seen hate, racism, lies, and more from Trump and changing from that is refreshing.

On his first day in office Biden began dismantling the policies of Trump and thus erasing his legacy. Just some of his early moves wereput in place to bring that change while removing traces of Trump as the President of the United States. Biden signed orders to halt construction of the racist border wall, signing protections for LGBTQ Americans who face discrimination, fortifying DACA, rejoining the U.S. in the World Health Org and the Paris Accord (as previously mentioned), and putting forth some much needed actions to tackle COVID-19.

There will be so much change that we will see over these next years with Biden as our president, and these changes will be refreshing changes as we leave the dark and incompetent last four years behind us. We all have been waiting for this day, when we would have real leadership once again and when we could say that the last few years were a bad nightmare. I am happy to say that we are already starting to see these changes, and it has only been two days.

A New Chapter Gives Us New Hope

The terrorist attack on the Capitol on January 6th by the supporters of Donald Trump outraged and shocked us all. This attempted coup that was incited by Trump and company was a shameful moment in our history and a moment that none of us will ever forget. Trump incited and directed his supporters to commit insurrection to stop the constitutional event of counting the votes of an election that he lost and we must always remember this and the people who took part in it.

Trump, Don Jr, Rudy Giuliani, and many others were complict in this attack on the Capitol and the MAGA people who stormed in there violently as well as those who defended the attack are enemies of our country. We must never forget who these people are, what they did, and what they stand for and represent. They are the very worst of our country, but they are the past and should not be focused on. The future is what gives us hope, a future that will build back better and create positive changes for our homeland.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the future, and with them, we have a new chapter and a bright furture indeed.

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Rob Clewley
Rob Clewley

Written by Rob Clewley

Author, activist, American. Love to write everything from politics to recovery and much more. Find me on Twitter under my name for much more!

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